Multi-compartment purse, handbag, and similar articles



Nov. 19, 1963 Filed Jan. 5, 1961 B. STEMBER 3,111,151 MULTI-COMPAR'I'MENT PURSE, HANDBAG, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 1590 STE/v39? MG-Q B. STEMBER 3,1 11,151

, AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Nov. 19, 1963 MULTI-COMPARTMENT PURSE, HANDBAG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 5, 1961 INV EN TOR. Eff/#1190 5719185. BY Mb, 637% ,4 n-upysy United States Patent Filed Jan. 5, 1961, Ser. No. 39,839 16 Claims. (til. 150-36} This invention relates to pocketbooks, purses, handbags and other articles of this general classification, and more particularly to multi-compartment purses of the type shown in my United States Patent No. 2,463,917'

The purse made according to my patent referred to is a foldable French purse which has bill and coin compartments and comprises a pair of main or outer inverted U-shaped channel frames hinged together and a third or inner inverted U-shaped channel frame mounted for pivotal movement on the same axis as the main frames and having a compartment or partition wall attached thereto and movable therewith to different positions internally of the purse to close the bill compartment, in one position of said partition wall, and to provide an access opening to the bill compartment, in another position of the partition wall, so that bills can be removed from the bill compartment without unfolding the purse.

The primary object of my present invention is to simplify the construction of the purse or other article made according to the invention of my above mentioned patent especially in respect to the way the partition wall is constructed and arranged for accomplishing the above stated functions.

Another object is to construct and mount the novel partition wall of my present invention in such a way that it is resiliently biased to the position in which the bill compartment is normally closed.

A further object is generally to provide a purse or other article of the indicated classification and character which can be manufactured at lower cost than previous articles of the same or similar functional characteristics and purposes.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the acompanying drawings which are to be considered as illustrative of the invention but not in limitation thereof. The presently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 6, while FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate one of other embodiments of which the invention is susceptible.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a purse in its folded and fully closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the purse in folded condition but open at the coin compartment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the upper part of the purse in its open condition showing the partition wall in a position to provide access to the bill compartment;

FIGA is a perspective view of the purse in unfolded and open condition;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing another form of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and first to the presently preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIG. 1 as a French purse 10 of conventional appearance, said purse comprises the inverted main U- shaped channel frames 12 and 14 of known construction hinged to each other by the pivot pins 16 for pivoted movement to open and close the purse in its folded con- 3,1 1 1,151 Patented Nov. 19, 1963 dition as well as in its unfolded condition. Conventional releasably engageable finger grip elements 18 are provided on the frame for releasably holding them in purse-closed condition and for facilitating opening of the purse.

A bill-compartment or outer wall 20 and a. part of each side gusset 22 are secured in the channel of frame 12. Said Wall 25 extends for the full length of the bill compartment 24. The outer wall 25 of the coin compartment and a part of each side gusset are secured to the frame 14. The inner or intermediate wall 26 of the bill compartment comprises the part (FIGS. 4 and 6) which extends from the end 28 of outer wall 2% to a point beyond the lower end 30 of the gusset 22.

The upper end of said inner wall is continuous with the partition wall 32 of the present invention and forms with the latter the common inner wall of the bill and coin compartments 24 and 34, respectively. The outer wall 25 of the coin compartment has an upwardly directed inturned inner cross portion 34a to which the inner wall 26 is stitched or otherwise suitably secured as indicated at 36, and the portion of wall 26 which extends upwardly beyond cross portion 34:: is secured at the lower end of partition wall 32, as will now be more fully described together with a further description of the partition wall and its mounting for movement to the positions referred to above for closing the bill compartment and for providing access thereto when the frame members are moved to open the coin compartment.

Wall 32 is preferably formed from relatively stiff material, for example, and without limitation, from plastic sheet material and as it is preferably, but not necessarily, transparent a stiff plate of a plastic such as Lucite (methyl methacrylate) is advantageously employed. Said plastic plate forming wall 32 is secured at its lower edge to transverse mounting means here shown as a metal channel member 38. The upper end of inner wall 26 is also secured in said channel member, as illustrated in FIG. 5, it being understood that the lower end of wall 32 and said upper end of wall 26 are clamped between the opposite sides of the channel member.

The opposite ends 40 of the channel member 38 are downturned and apertured as indicated at 41 in FIG. 5, to pivot on the pins 16 which project a short distance inwardly into the purse as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5. Springs 42 are provided for releasably holding wall 32 in its position for closing the bill compartment. One end of each spring is clamped in the channel of one of the U-frames 12 near its hinged end as indicated at 44 (FIG. 6) and the other end of the springs is clamped in the channel member 38 as indicated at 46. Thus, wall 32 is biased to a position for closing the bill compartment but can be readily moved to a retracted position, as illustrated in FIG. 3 to provide access to the bill compartment without unfolding the purse. In FIG. 3 a bill indicated at A is shown partly removed from the bill compartment. It will be understood that the bills are insertable into the bill compartment through a side opening between walls 29 and 26 when the purse is unfolded as illustrated in FIG. 4. A flap 48 attached only at its upper end to the frame member 14 is provided to overlap wall 20 when the purse is folded and snap fastener elements or other suitable releasable securing means are provided on wall 20 and flap 48 as indicated at 50 in FIG. 5 for releasably securing wall 20 in its folded condition.

In the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the channel member 38 and the springs 42 for the partition wall are omitted, and the hinge pins indicated at 16a for the U-frames 12 and 14 are shorter than the hinge pins 16 in the above described form of the invention. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the parts which are essentially the same as the parts shown by FIGS. 1 to 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, respectively. The partition wall indicated by the numeral 32a is essentially the same as wall 32 but its lower end is secured between the upturned portion 34a of wall 25 and the upper end -52 of wall 2 6, by stitching or other suitable means as indicated at 54. The wall 32a is biased inherently to the position illustrated for closing the bill compartment, since it is stitched to the upturned end portion 34a of wall 25 which is formed of leather or material of similar resilient properties and which resiliently resists flexing away from the confronting part of wall 20. However, any suitable means may be provided for releasably holding wall 32a in its closed position. As shown in FIG. 8, such holding means are provided by the separable snap fastener indicated at 56. Various other releasable holding means can be provided, for example well known magnetic means (not shown) constituted by a magnetic tape and a companion strip or element of magnetizable metallic material on wall 20 and 32a, respectively.

It will be noted in both of the illustrate-d embodiments of the invention, the coin compartment extends below the hinged ends of the U-frarnes "12 and 14 and that wall 32 or 32a is common to both the coin compartment and the bill compartment. It will be understood that the invention is applicable to handbags, pocketbooks and to purses other than French purses, and that the partition can be opaque in which case one of the compartments of the article can be a secret compartment especially when wall 32 or 3211 conforms in size and edge contour to the wall portion which is outlined by the inner edge of the U-frame.

While I have described the preferred embodiment of the invention and other forms thereof, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as illustrated or described and that in the illustrated forms of the invention various changes, additions and omissions may be made without departing from the essential principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-frames hinged to each other at their lower ends, one of said walls comprising a stiff plate disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening to at least said. hinges of said U-frames as a partition wall between two of the compartments, said partition wall having unconnected side edges and an unconnected upper edge, and transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall mounting the partition wall for movement toward and away from said other two walls to different positions, for closing one of said compartments, in one position of the partition wall, and for providing access thereto in another position of the partition wall.

2. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition wall between two of the compartments, and transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall mounting the partition wall for movement toward and away from said other two walls to different positions, for closing one of said compartments, in one position of the partition wall, and for providing access thereto in another position of the partition wall, said partition wall comprising a stiff plate, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-frames hinged to each other by hinge pins at their lower ends, said two walls being secured to said U-frames, respectively, and said transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall being pivotally mounted at its opposite ends on said hinge pins of the U-frames.

3. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition wall between two of the compartments, and transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall mounting the partition wall for movement toward and away from said other two walls to different positions, for closing one of said compartments, in one position of the partition wall, and for providing access thereto in another position of the partition wall, said partition wall comprising a stiif plate, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-frames hinged to each other by hinge pins at their lower ends, said two walls being secured to said U-frames, respectively, and said transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall being pivotally mounted at its opposite ends On said hinge pins of the U-frames, and spring means engaging said transverse member and one of said U-frarnes for releasably holding said partition Wall in compartment-closing position thereof.

4. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partidon wall between two of the compartments, and transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall mounting the partition wall for movement toward and away from said other two walls to different positions, for closing one of said compartments, in one position of the partition wall, and for providing access thereto in another position of the partition wall, said partition wall comprising a stiff plate, one of said two other walls having an inner upturned portion and forming at least part of said transverse means for mounting said partition wall.

5. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition 'wall between two of the compartments, said partition wall comprising a stiff transparent plate, a channel member in which the lower edge of said plate is mounted, and means including said channel member mounting said plate for movement toward and away from said two walls to different positions for closing one of the compartments, in one position of said plate, and for providing access to said one compartment in another position of said plate.

6. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition wall between two of the compartments, and transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall mounting the partition wall for movement toward and away from said other two walls to different positions, for closing one of said compartments, in one position of the partition wall, and for providing access thereto in another position of the partition wall, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-frarnes hinged to each other by shinge pins at their lower ends, said two walls being secured to said U-f=rames, respectively, said partition wall comprising a stiif transparent plate, a channel member in which the lower edge of said plate is mounted, and means including said channel member mounting said plate for movement toward and away from said two walls to difierent positions for closing one of the compartments, in one position of said plate, and for providing access to said one compartment in another position of said plate, said channel member being pivotally mounted at its opposite ends on said hinge pins of the U-frames.

7. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition wall between two of the compartments, and transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall mounting the partition wall for movement toward and away from said other two walls to different positions, for closing one of said compartments, in one position of the partition Wall, and for providing access thereto in another position of the partition wall, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-frames hinged to each other by hinge pins at their lower ends, said two walls being secured to said U-frames, respectively, said partition wall comprising a stifif transparent plate, a channel member in which the lower edge of said plate is mounted, and means including said channel member mounting said plate for movement toward and away from said two Walls to different positions for closing one of the compartments, in one position of said plate, and for providing access to said one compartment in another position of said plate, said channel member being pivotally mounted at its opposite ends on said hinge pins of the U-frames and spring means engaging said channel-member and one or" said U-frames for releasably holding said partition wall in compartment-closing position thereof.

8. A multi-compartrnent purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition wall between two of the compartments, said partition wall comprising a stilt plate, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-frames hinged to each other by hinge pins :at their lower ends, said two walls being secured to said U-frames, respectively, and means mounting the lower part of said stiff plate [for pivotal movement about the axis of said hinge pins to difierent positions for closing one of the compartments, in one position of said plate, and for providing access to said one compartment in another position of said plate.

9. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition wall between two of the compartments, said partition wall comprising a stiff plate, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-frames hinged to each other by hinge pins at their lower ends, said two walls being secured to said U-frames, respectively, and means mounting the lower part of said stiff plate for pivotal movement about the axis of said hinge pins to different positions for closing one of the compartments, in one position of said plate, and for providing access to said one compartment in another position of said plate, and spring means acting on said stiff plate for releasably holding the latter in said compartmentclosing position.

10. A multi-compartment purse, pocketbook, handbag or like container having a top opening for access to the interior of the container and comprising a plurality of walls forming a plurality of separate compartments, one of said walls being disposed between two of the other Walls and extending downwardly from said top opening as a partition wall between two of the compartments, said partition wall comprising a stifif transparent plate, said container comprising a pair of inverted U-fra-mes hinged to each other by hinge pins at their lower ends, said two walls being secured to said U-cframes, respectively, and transverse means at the lower edge of said partition wall mounting the partition wall for movement toward and away from said other two Walls to different positions, one of said two other walls having an inner upturned portion and forming at least part of said transverse means for mounting said plate, said upturned portion being resilient and releasably holding said plate in compartment closing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,032,625 Miller Mar. 3, 1936 2,213,618 Stember Sept. 3, 1940 2,298,543 Schmidt Oct. 13, 1942 2,463,917 Stember Mar. 8, 1949 2,488,444 St. Thomas Nov. 15, 1949 2,720,904 Jefiery Oct. 18, 1955 2,854,051 Lowe Sept. 30, 1958 

1. A MULTI-COMPARTMENT PURSE, POCKETBOOK, HANDBAG OR LIKE CONTAINER HAVING A TOP OPENING FOR ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF WALLS FORMING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A PAIR OF INVERTED U-FRAMES HINGED TO EACH OTHER AT THEIR LOWER ENDS, ONE OF SAID WALLS COMPRISING A STIFF PLATE DISPOSED BETWEEN TWO OF THE OTHER WALLS AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID TOP OPENING TO AT LEAST SAID HINGES OF SAID U-FRAMES AS A PARTITION WALL BETWEEN TWO OF THE COMPARTMENTS, SAID PARTITION WALL HAVING UNCONNECTED SIDE EDGES AND AN UNCONNECTED UPPER EDGE, AND TRANSVERSE MEANS AT THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID PARTITION WALL MOUNTING THE PARTITION WALL FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND 